Wrestling Hall of Famer Dory Funk Jr. Dies at 85

Dory Funk Jr., the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and one of professional wrestling’s most respected technicians and trainers, has died at the age of 85.

The Cauliflower Alley Club confirmed his passing in a tribute statement, calling him “one of professional wrestling’s true legends” and praising him as “a champion, a teacher, a gentleman, and an ambassador” for the sport. The organization extended its condolences to his wife, Marti, and the rest of the Funk family.

Funk was born into wrestling royalty. The son of Dory Funk Sr., he grew up in the Amarillo, Texas territory alongside his younger brother Terry, forming one of the most influential families in the sport’s history. Dory Jr. carried that lineage into the ring with a style built on stiff, credible technical wrestling that earned him respect across the industry and around the world, including lengthy, celebrated stints in Japan.

His crowning in-ring achievement came with his reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a title that in his era represented the top prize in all of professional wrestling and required title holders to travel constantly, defending the belt against the best challengers in territories across the globe. That championship reign cemented his standing as one of the defining champions of a pre-WrestleMania wrestling landscape.

But Funk’s legacy extends well beyond his championship résumé. He became renowned as one of the most influential trainers the business has ever produced, running the Funking Conservatory and mentoring wrestlers who would go on to become stars in their own right. Generations of performers have credited him as a teacher who instilled in them the fundamentals of psychology, timing, and toughness that defined the old-school territorial style. His impact on how wrestling is taught and passed down cannot be overstated — countless names who came through NWA, WWE, and beyond can trace some part of their craft back to lessons learned from Funk.

The Cauliflower Alley Club, an organization dedicated to honoring wrestlers and preserving the history of the profession, singled out his “technical brilliance, toughness, and dedication to the craft” in its statement, noting that his contributions as both a competitor and a mentor represented “the very best traditions of professional wrestling.”

Funk’s passing marks the loss of a direct link to wrestling’s territorial era, a time before national promotions dominated the landscape and championships were built through years of hard-fought regional battles rather than television storytelling alone. As one of the last surviving stars of that generation, his death closes another chapter in the sport’s history, though his influence lives on through the wrestlers he trained and the standard of in-ring excellence he set.

Tributes are expected to continue pouring in from across the wrestling world in the coming days as fans and peers reflect on a career and a legacy that shaped the sport for decades. Rest in peace, Dory Funk Jr.